Crock Pot Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

Let your slow-cooker do the heavy lifting for dinner with succulent, juicy, versatile Crock pot Dr. Pepper pulled pork. Fewer than 10 minutes of hands-on time yields enough irresistible pulled pork for more than one meal!

Serve your slow cooker pulled pork on hamburger buns or rolls with slaw, but it’s not all just about the pulled pork sandwiches! It’s also great on rice with bbq sauce and pickled vegetables, on mashed potatoes with gravy, on top of a salad, or over toast with fried eggs, just to name a few ideas. Tuck into tacos, grilled cheese sandwiches, in soup, or on pizzas. 

With that tiny amount of effort, you have the base for limitless quick and satisfying meals that make the whole family happy. Isn’t that magical?

Pulled Pork with Dr. Pepper Slow Cooker

None of what is in this Dr. pepper pulled pork recipe should be hard to source and the payoff for such a minute amount of effort is massive. Even with the number of hearty eaters in our home, we get enough for at least 2 generous meals. 

If you’re feeding a smaller crew or a couple, I can imagine getting at least 4 to 5 meals out of one pork shoulder. Considering that pork shoulders are one of the more economical cuts of meat available these days, that makes this not only delicious, but budget friendly to boot.

I promised this is an easy recipe, and I meant it. The ingredients list is brief and the equipment list is equally small. 

Pulled Pork Ingredients

1. Bone-In Pork Shoulder
2. Onions
3. Whole Cloves Garlic
4. Kosher
5. Black Pepper
6. Dr. Pepper
7. Dijon Mustard

It’s called Slow Cooker Dr Pepper Pulled Pork, but you can use just about any dark soda to good effect. You can even mix and match a bit; use a can of Dr Pepper and two cans of root beer. 

Combine cola and Dr. Pepper. Let the spirit move you!

One thing I would not do, however, is use diet dr. pepper or other diet sodas. Because they do not have sugar, they do not reduce to a syrup nicely either flavour-wise or texture-wise.

What Cut of Meat for Pulled Pork

The very best cut of meat for pulled pork is a bone-in pork shoulder. It is a portion of the pig that is well-marbled with tasty fat that helps keep the meat tender and juicy in the long, slow cooking process. 

What cut of pork for pulled pork isn’t a hard and fast rule, though. While pork shoulder is what cut of pork is best for pulled pork, you do have options.

Any of these cuts of pork (whether boneless or bone-in) should work quite well and yield up juicy meat. Remember that if you use a boneless cut of pork for your pulled pork, you may be able to reduce your cooking time slightly.

• Bone-In Pork Shoulder (Best cut of pork for pulled pork)
• Pork Butt
• Boneless Pork Shoulder
• Boston Butt
• ​Bone-In Pork Butt
• Boneless Pork Butt
• Picnic Roast
• Shoulder Roast
• Shoulder Butt Roast
• Boneless Spare Ribs

On the other hand, you may want to avoid the leaner or more delicate cuts of pork. These have a tendency -however counterintuitively- to dry out and get stringy in the moist cooking environment of the crockpot.

The following cuts lack enough fat marbling and connective tissue to yield a silky, tender pulled pork. Save them for quick grilling or broiling recipes!

Cuts of Meat to Avoid for Pulled Pork

• Tenderloin
• Center Cut Boneless Pork Loin
• Top Loin
• Sirloin Roast

Equipment

1. 6 Quart or Larger Slow Cooker
2. Chef Knife
3. Cutting Board
4. Saucepan
5. Spoon

Pork Crock Pot Recipes

Whether you’re looking for the best pulled pork recipe or another pork-licious easy slow cooker recipe, we’ve got you covered! From Slow Cooker Mojo Pork to Slow Cooker Pork Roast with peach salsa and sweet potatoes, and on to Slow Cooker Korean Style Pork Tenderloin and Breakfast Baked Beans, the crockpot is the perfect way to cook up the pork meal of your dreams. 

Crock Pot Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

Let your slow-cooker do the heavy lifting for dinner with succulent, juicy, versatile Crock pot Dr. Pepper pulled pork. Fewer than 10 minutes of hands-on time yields enough irresistible pulled pork for more than one meal!

Arrange the sliced onion over the bottom of the slow-cooker. Place pork shoulder on top of the onions. 

Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes on the pork shoulder, then pour one can of Dr. pepper on top of the pork. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 4-5 hours. 

Toward the end of cooking time, combine the remaining two cans of Dr. Pepper in a saucepan with the Dijon mustard over high heat. Bring it to a boil then drop the heat medium low to maintain a steady, gentle simmer.

Keep cooking the soda and mustard mixture until it has reduced to about 1 cup total and a very syrupy consistency. Set this aside.

When the pork shoulder is fall-apart tender, shred it in the crockpot while still in its cooking juices, removing the bone and any large portions of fat. Stir in the reduced Dr. Pepper syrup and serve as desired.

NOTES:

The pork should be so tender after cooking that it easily falls away from the bone and cannot hold together when you try to lift it. If it is not that tender, cover and allow it to cook a little longer until it is meltingly tender.

Crock Pot Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

Rebecca Lindamood

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 7 hours hrs

Total Time 7 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

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Let your slow-cooker do the heavy lifting for dinner with succulent, juicy, versatile Crock pot Dr. Pepper pulled pork. Fewer than 10 minutes of hands-on time yields enough irresistible pulled pork for more than one meal!

Equipment

• 6 Quart or Larger Slow Cooker
• Chef Knife
• cutting board
• saucepan
• spoon

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 6 lb bone-in pork shoulder
• 2 onions peeled and thickly sliced into slabs
• 10 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 cans 12 oz each Dr. Pepper, divided
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Instructions

 

• Arrange onion slabs over the bottom of the slow-cooker. Toss in the peeled garlic cloves. Place pork shoulder on top of the onions.
• Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes on the pork shoulder, then pour one can of Dr. pepper on top of it. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 5 to 6 hours.
• Toward the end of cooking time, combine the remaining two cans of Dr. Pepper in a saucepan with the Dijon mustard over high heat. Bring it to a boil then drop the heat medium low to maintain a steady, gentle simmer.
• Keep cooking the soda and mustard mixture until it has reduced to about 1 cup total and a very syrupy consistency. Set this aside.
• When the pork shoulder is falling apart, shred it in the crockpot while still in its cooking juices, removing the bone and any large portions of fat. Stir in the reduced Dr. Pepper syrup and serve as desired.

Notes

NOTES:
The pork should be so tender after cooking that it easily falls away from the bone and cannot hold together when you try to lift it. If it is not that tender, cover and allow it to cook a little longer until it is meltingly tender.

Nutrition

Calories: 221kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 28gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.001gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 537mgPotassium: 520mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 37IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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